Masque "Bhuta", 18e siècle ·  Inde - Sud de Karnataka, Tulu Nadu · ID: 3050760

Description

copper alloy, base

Metal “masks” like this one are used in “bhuta” worship practiced in Tulu Nadu, the Tulu-speaking coastal region of Karnataka state in southwestern India.

“Bhutas” are supernatural beings or divinized ancestor spirits. Hundreds of different “bhutas” are worshipped, each embodied by a particular metal animal- or human-face mask. Boars, buffalos, and fierce forms of the god Shiva or his attendant ganas are especially popular.

Every year countless festivals take place in honor of the “bhutas”. Their embodiments are professionals called “pambada”. They perform experessive dances in a state of ritual possesssion. Dressed in a unique costume, with a huge aureole, their appearance is majestic. The metal masks “muga” (“faces”), which are held in front of the face or in the hands during the performance, are charged with divine power.

“Bhuta” worship in Tulu Nadu probably dates back at least to the fourteenth century.

L’objet Masque “Bhuta”, 18e siècle avec l’ID d’objet 3050760 a fait partie de la dernière vente aux enchères 102e vente aux enchères dans 13 avril 2024 le Zemanek-Münster Hôtel des ventes. L’objet portant le numéro de lot 2 a atteint un prix de vente de 2 500 €.

Vous trouverez d’autres Masques et autres types d’objets populaires sur nos pages thématiques associées. Notre page sur le thème Art asiatique pourrait également vous intéresser.

Littérature comparée

Figiel, Leo S., Ritual Bronzes of Maharashtra and Karnataka, Boynton Beach 2007, p. 126, Fig. 14-128